How much can a shitty cab fuck up your sound?

[HeadCrusher]

So I've been running my JCM 800 2210 for about a month of rehearsals so far and I'm still not satisfied with the sounds I get. When I kneel right in front of the cab it sounds good but as soon as I start walking around the room it's all just a phasey mess. It sounds like the amp has almost no gain and even with the Overdrive Channel volume at 6 and the master at 5 I can barely hear myself at times (and that's not because the rest of the band is so loud). The amp has been properly serviced with new tubes and all. That's why I'm starting to think that the cab might be the reason for my problem. It's an angled Marshall AVT 4x12 and standing on top of an amp case so it's not in the worst position. However it's not the best cab out there obviously. It's kinda small also. With the amp put on top of it the amp exceeds it about an inch on every side. It's an 8 Ohm cab so obviously I have to run the amp at 8 Ohms as well. Dunno if that affects the sound. At this point I can't get my hands on a different cab to use at rehearsals so unfortunetaly it'll have to do.
Tommorrow I'll take the amp on the road for the first time. Afaik Engl 4x12 cabs will be supplied at the venue so I'll get the chance to play it through a proper cab and see how it sounds.

 

[drew_drummer]

Definitely the cab. I noticed when I switched from my JCM900 cab to my Zilla cab, the difference was dramatic.

 

[crillemannen]

The cab makes enormous difference. Even if you have a cab loaded with the same speakers. I have a Engl with vintage 30's and a Harley Benton loaded the same, and the sound quality is huge. The Harley is a little bit boxy-sounding while the Engl is very open and tight.

 

[Norris-wf]

I used to have an AVT cab! From that to a 1960 was night and day to me! I couldn't get rid of that cab fast enough tbh, Even used the AVT150H though the 1960 sounded better. I remember I recorded clips to test the difference years back, (Long gone now) but after that, the AVT cab was never connected up again What I am really interested in is seeing if the 1960 with V30's is as dramatic a difference

 

[TheUnknown]

I used to have an AVT cab! From that to a 1960 was night and day to me! I couldn't get rid of that cab fast enough tbh, Even used the AVT150H though the 1960 sounded better. I remember I recorded clips to test the difference years back, (Long gone now) but after that, the AVT cab was never connected up again What I am really interested in is seeing if the 1960 with V30's is as dramatic a difference

I never owned an AVT, I've owned many 1960's but I was going to use this same example, and to that...Absolutely. Now from a 1960 to say a bogner or splawn its even bigger...so yeah its HUGE!

 

[Sweetnothing]

All I can say is I've sold a lot of amp heads due to a shitty cab ( 5150's, rectifiers, vht's)

Now I have the recto std and well, now one of the amps I had HAS more or less the sound I want. With the 1960A it was impossible, so thin and fizzy. I ended up buying a new 6505 for the second time.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

The cab makes enormous difference.

Very VERY true. Speakers are really important as well.

 

[MetalJonesy]

I used to have an AVT cab! From that to a 1960 was night and day to me! I couldn't get rid of that cab fast enough tbh, Even used the AVT150H though the 1960 sounded better. I remember I recorded clips to test the difference years back, (Long gone now) but after that, the AVT cab was never connected up again What I am really interested in is seeing if the 1960 with V30's is as dramatic a difference

Sean,

I have impulses of my mates AVT cab and my 1960A cab difference is amazing(did a shoot out years ago for my own amusement also with a HB 2x12), to be fair for a 4x12 those AVT cabs are TINY!! and the speakers are shit

heres the pic of all three cabs:

i can do a V30 v G12t 75 speaker shoot out for you if you want?

i have 3 V30s in my 1960A and one G12t75 the 75 is in the top of the cab so ill do a direct one with the V30 in the top too! ill have to wait until the neighbour is out sometime this next week but ill PM you!

 

[Nauru]

When I got my first tube head I couldn't really afford a cab so I bought a really cheap crate one, and even though it was a nice head, it sounded awfullll. When I got a real cab, the difference was HUGE.

 

[Norris-wf]

Sean,

I have impulses of my mates AVT cab and my 1960A cab difference is amazing(did a shoot out years ago for my own amusement also with a HB 2x12), to be fair for a 4x12 those AVT cabs are TINY!! and the speakers are shit

heres the pic of all three cabs:


i can do a V30 v G12t 75 speaker shoot out for you if you want?

i have 3 V30s in my 1960A and one G12t75 the 75 is in the top of the cab so ill do a direct one with the V30 in the top too! ill have to wait until the neighbour is out sometime this next week but ill PM you!

Whoa, that would be awsome Mark, If I was to do it, I'd prob just put the V30's into the cab I have, so that would be a big help. I forgot how small those AVT cabs looked next to the 1960's, and like a fool I went and bought mine new! They were so light in comparison too, no wonder they dont have wheels Did you find the AVT cab any good? I heard someone say that a 5150 and AVT cab is meant to be unreal, although I am highly suspicious of that.

Is there even a big difference between the V30 in the HB and 1960?

edit: also, I thought the AVT cab had gold piping on it?

 

[greyskull]

a lot.
the avt cab is garbage

 

[cloy26]

I have a 1960 a and b. I don't like the a at all. It has 4 g75s. The b did as well, but I put 2 v30s in it, but still, I really want to hear what a mesa or a engl cab would do with my 5150.

 

[amarshism]

5150 with a mesa cab or orange is a match made in heaven

it never ceases to amaze me how many guitarists dont place much emphasis on their cabinet in terms of how it affects the tone.
i tour fairly regularly around aus, and the countless guitarists ive come across playing very nice, and sometimes very expensive heads through shitty behringer, cheap marshall and dodgy crate cabs really annoys me

 

[cloy26]

If it were up to me, I would sell one of my cabs today for a mesa, but they have "sentimental" value from an uncle... The same one who sold me a fucked up jcm 900 sl-x...

 

[arv_foh]

It's funny this thread popped up today, at my show tonight I had a dude that was playing a Mesa Mark IV through a Crate cab uke:

 

[ahjteam]

It's funny this thread popped up today, at my show tonight I had a dude that was playing a Mesa Mark IV through a Crate cab uke:

Atleast the Crate cabs Ancara used (It actually reads in the front that they have Celestions, I think they are V30's by the size of the center cone, never bothered to check) have proven to be okay for live use for the 3 years I have mixed them.

 

[StefTD]

My old guitar player owned the Marshall MG (like the AVT but smaller-yeah, great...)
the sound wasn't that great (he played a modded laney with a boost in front) but he
just liked it, I am not sure why, the only reason I can think off was the build quality (yes, don't know why, but it was built very well).
The cab actually was felt down 5 meters at one of our shows, it was outdoors and we
played on some kind of balcony, it hit the ground and than felt into a river!!!
This was 3 years ago, it still works...just sounds bad (but that has nothing to do with the river)

 

[halcyonwayband@aol.com]

I've never heard a head that a Mesa Recto cab didn't improve the sound of...so yeah, the cab is huge.

 

[HeadCrusher]

So, back from the gig... Played through a Fender MH-412 cab which has some kind of Celestions in it apparently. Might not be the best cab either but the sound was definitely a lot better then with the AVT. Didn't sound particularly great from the cab itself but the soundman got me a nice tone in my monitor micing the cab with a 57 right outside the speaker cone. I'm just glad the amp is alright.